Juniper help

[MattA]

I have been given a juniper by a friend to style. First up I am a complete novice when it comes to growing junipers so have scoured all i can find about them. Secondly , this material is nothing like what i normally would choose, I usually look for something with a bit of interest, that i can see going somewhere. Third, i am a wire virgin but its the only way to get this anywhere.

Really like what ant has done with his squamata for slaughter and jamie's twisted shimpaku's. So i guess a bit of technical advice is really what i am after. The trunk is about 1.5cm dia. What size wires am i going to need to get it to hold once i do bend it? I know I will have to wrap with rafia & run wires along its length as well as round it.

With all the branching on this coming pretty much from one side it could also be prime material for a phoenix onto an old stump i have from an unsuccessful dig of a greenstead magnifica. Either way it needs alot of work & time before it will be anything. HELP!!! Please....

Matt

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[Jamie]

i think compression would be the way to go with this one matty, definately raffia needed, and wire running along the trunk, i would say 5 mm wire for sure for the main trunk. i wouldnt worry bout styling right now as such, more thinking about compression and which way you are going to twist and turn it. as once all the compression is done other options will present themselves once done

[MattA]

So, rafia rap, then 5mm along it. Do i use 5mm round as well? It will be a long project & they are happy for me to take as long as needed. Its just such plain uninteresting material, not what i am used to. Most of my bonsai experience has been with collecting stuff that has an appeal & the odd bit of interesting nursery stock.

Will get some wire during the week & go from there. Have a rough idea of how it could twist up. Jamie, if it works you may have your wish & i become addicted to the wire Bad enough i am addicted to the trees, not wire too! Will put some pics up when i do something with it.

Matt

[Jamie]

yea i reckon 5mm should be used to wrap aswell, its going to take a fair bit to hold this sucker, the wire running up the tree will help but it will definately need some strong wire wrapped around it to.

you will be amazed at how much you will get this to compress and twist

[MattA]

you will be amazed at how much you will get this to compress and twist

I will give it all i got when the time comes... your a bad influence jamie

[Jamie]

thats how i like it

lucky its me and not antonio

[MattA]

I am willing to give it a go because its not mine

In the mean time, seeing as i have no wire, might go torture something with some rope, that i always have plenty of...

[Dumper]

i think it will be an interesting fallen raft style.

[Jamie]

dumpers option is also viable

[Dumper]

^_^

[MattA]

All options are open. If it had been me i would have left it an the nursery Will talk again with the owner midweek.. If they are happy for it to stay with me a yr or more i will go with the twisted option. If they would like it back alot sooner i will prob go with a raft. Wire the 'trunks' in position, repot & send it home ....

Must remember to not tell anyone i grow little trees to avoid this happening again

[Leigh Taafe]

G'day Matt - raffia and 5mm around the trunk should be fine to move this. Depending on how crazy you bend it, you may need "guy" wires to hold the bends in place. But I wouldn't bother with wire running along the trunk - you wont need it.

Cheers,
Leigh.

[anttal63]

all good advice there matt. if i was doing this i think i would prefer to use 2 seperate 3.5 mm coils spaced out from each other evenly. not side by side touching each other as in text book. That way you get alot more surface wrapped in wire. Raffia a must and work out which way you are going to twist, make sure the wire and raffia is wrapped that way so as to not loosen off but to tighten as you twist. Allow for that too so as to not choke the tree. Also try to work with natural bends and twists if already there and are feasible to your design.The rest is up to your imagination my friend.

[MattA]

Its straighter than a boomerang with nothing redeeming about it. I am figuring, seeing as i am going to the effort of wrapping & wiring this one I may as well go all out on the bending. Am happy to put guy wires on if need be, used to tieing things down. Just focusing on the trunk for now. From all my readings, the wire needs to stay on for about a yr, Yes? or is it shorter due to our climate? With rope work i watch for lessing tension as a sign or it starting to cut in.

Antonio, I had been wondering about coiling direction & wiring, makes perfect sense when explained. Am curious also for the size diff between you & jamie. Is one aluminium & the other copper? or is it because of using the 2 wires instead of one?

I am actually looking forward to seeing what i can do & if i can bend it as much as my imagination has been doing for 2 days.

Matt

[anttal63]

Its straighter than a boomerang with nothing redeeming about it. I am figuring, seeing as i am going to the effort of wrapping & wiring this one I may as well go all out on the bending. Am happy to put guy wires on if need be, used to tieing things down. Just focusing on the trunk for now. From all my readings, the wire needs to stay on for about a yr, Yes? or is it shorter due to our climate? With rope work i watch for lessing tension as a sign or it starting to cut in.

Antonio, I had been wondering about coiling direction & wiring, makes perfect sense when explained. Am curious also for the size diff between you & jamie. Is one aluminium & the other copper? or is it because of using the 2 wires instead of one?

I am actually looking forward to seeing what i can do & if i can bend it as much as my imagination has been doing for 2 days.

Matt

Well indeed that matt 2 times 3.5mm = 7mm but spread out to cover and support more surface area to cover any bending and twisting.